


Don't You Ever Get Bored?

by Lurlur



Category: Gentleman's Wager Series
Genre: Bets & Wagers, Established Relationship, Giancarlo Loves Jude, Jude Loves Giancarlo, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Married Life, Rated G for Game Playing as a form of love, Script from A Gentleman's Wager II, no beta we die like vintage racing cars in the countryside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26069497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lurlur/pseuds/Lurlur
Summary: Whenever Jude and Giancarlo feel a little insecure, they play a game to check in with how they feel about each other. Here's what they don't say.
Relationships: Giancarlo Walker/Jude Walker
Comments: 14
Kudos: 7





	Don't You Ever Get Bored?

**Author's Note:**

> Yesterday, these two short films were brought to my attention:[A Gentleman's Wager](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4393i2-OWk) and [A Gentleman's Wager II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TgSW9EjnqE).
> 
> Like any good barely house-trained writer, I went utterly feral with a few friends. Today, we were SHOCKED to discover that there is no fic? no fandom? no discourse? But, even if we have to build this thing from the ground up, we recognise a ship with potential. Please meet Giancarlo Walker and Jude Walker. They are husbands and they are in love. Notably distinct from the actors who portray them, it should be said.

It’s a beautiful morning in the Italian countryside. The sun filters through the canopy of leaves above them, letting the pair feel the warmth without it being oppressive. It’s a morning just like hundreds of others they’ve spent.

As Jude rolls a bocce down the gravelled avenue, Giancarlo feels that familiar doubt nibbling at his gut. It’s less pronounced than it used to be, easier to ignore, but ignoring it has never gone well for them before. He’s never felt worthy of Jude, never felt like what he has to offer matches up to everything that Jude gives him. Jude’s bocce comes to a stop right beside the pallino, cinching the victory.

“So, what do you think?” Giancarlo asks casually. He sees the look Jude gives him, a flash of recognition. He doesn’t dare breathe until Jude speaks.

“It’s lovely.”

Giancarlo smiles and looks away, Jude is in.

“Don’t you like it?” Giancarlo asks, knowing that Jude can hear the words he means. _Do you still like me?_ _Am I still enough?_

Jude laughs, waiting until Giancarlo meets his eyes again before responding.

“I just told you,” he says gently, “I think it’s lovely.”

 _Yes, it’s still you. You should listen to what I say and not what you think I might say._ The hint of rebuke makes Giancarlo smirk, feeling like a schoolboy caught misbehaving.

“Hm,” he says, non-committally. He’d quite like a bit more reassurance, if it’s available.

They take a few steps, each thoughtfully silent.

“Don’t you ever get bored of all this beauty?” Jude asks after a moment.

Giancarlo’s heart leaps into his throat. It seems that he’s not the only one in need of that reassurance. He hears so many echoes in Jude’s voice, echoes of all the vicious gossips who whispered that they would never last. The ones who said that Giancarlo would tire of Jude when it was clear that they had nothing in common, or that Jude’s looks would fade and Giancarlo would find someone prettier. Those fools couldn’t even imagine the joy that Giancarlo found in Jude’s company, the long, rambling conversations they shared into the early hours, the simple pleasure of a game of bocce in the sun. Not to mention that Jude has only grown more beautiful with every passing year. Giancarlo can’t begin to answer the question, how could he _ever_ be bored of Jude?

He steps forward and kicks Jude’s winning bocce away from the pallino, laughing as he does so. The moment felt too heavy anyway, better to dispel that and make his bello smile again. It’s time to show him his gift.

“Do you want to see something really beautiful?” Giancarlo already can’t wait to see Jude’s face when he sees the vintage racing car. There is nothing in the world that is too much for Jude.

It’s been a hard couple of days and Jude is aching in almost every joint. The suspension in that old car left a lot to be desired and, well, some of the roads between here and Monaco have an interesting approach to paving. His back is tight and his neck twinges when he turns too fast but Giancarlo is so delightfully happy with him that he can ignore it for a few more hours. Maybe he’ll be able to coax a backrub out of his husband later, more spoils for the victor.

Giancarlo rolls a bocce towards the pallino, hissing under his breath when it overshoots its mark by a long margin.

Suddenly, Jude feels old. He used to be able to shrug this stuff off, get knocked down only to jump back up again. He never used to feel this stiff and creaky. Why would Giancarlo want someone like him when he could have his pick of anyone in the world? Maybe he wants someone younger, prettier, smarter. Maybe he wants something different after all these years.

“So,” Jude says, feeling a little silly, “what do you think?” Giancarlo looks at him with those soft eyes, a sparkle of mischief already setting in.

“It’s lovely,” he says.

“What, you don’t like it?” _Do you like me still? Am I still who you want to share this with? I’d set you free if it’s what you wanted, break my heart in two just to see you happy._

“I just told you,” Giancarlo says with a smile, “I think it’s lovely.” _You’re lovely, you’re what I love, all of this is nothing without you._

Jude grins, warmth flooding his cheeks in the face of Giancarlo’s open adoration. There’s no better feeling in the world than being loved by this man.

“Don’t you ever, I don’t know,” Giancarlo pauses, fixing Jude with an intense stare, “get a little bored by all this beauty?”

He’s sticking to the script but his words don’t mean anything close to what he’s saying. _I’m no beauty, Jude, I am old and tired. Will you be bored with me when I need you more? Will you really be here with me through it all?_

It’s a conversation they’ve been skirting around for a while, Jude doesn’t want to think about it and Giancarlo doesn’t want to admit the reality out loud, but time waits for no man no matter how in love he is.

Jude almost kisses his husband then, but that would stop the game. He doesn’t want to break this yet, they’ll talk about it later, they still have later.

“Do you want to see something really beautiful?”


End file.
